Silence for the Dead by Simone St.
James
Kitty Weekes flees her life in
London for a job as a nurse at Portis House, a country manor turned
hospital. Two problems. Kitty is not a nurse and Portis House is not
a typical nursing facility. It is a
madhouse for shell shocked veterans of World War I. Oh, and there is another issue to add to the
mix. It seems that Portis House is
haunted, and whatever presence is there, it is not pleasant at all.
This is a great haunted house tale
mixed with light romance. It is also a
wonderful period piece detailing the stigma men faced if they returned shell
shocked from World War I. There is a cross
section of acceptance at Portis House – families that visit every week, men
abandoned by fiancées, and those whose families are terribly ashamed of their
returning soldiers whose minds were damaged by what they experienced.
I really liked how the author had
Kitty see the men as hurt individuals in her care, not just as madmen to be
discounted, and how a purpose, coming together to face crises, brought out the
best in the men and made them truly feel useful and like men again.
